Rachel haircut

The Rachel haircut, also called The Rachel, is a bouncy, square-layered hairstyle introduced by Jennifer Aniston in season one of the hit American sitcom Friends (1994) and named after her character, Rachel Green. Aniston disliked the hairstyle and did not keep it, but the cut was widely imitated and is still popular.

Background

Creation

Aniston's hairstylist, Chris McMillan, created the cut,^[1] and she wore the hairstyle during Friends first and second seasons. It immediately became very popular among women as "The Rachel",^[2] and has become associated with the actress' character of Rachel Green. In the second season episode "The One With the Lesbian Wedding", Rachel complains that her mother (Marlo Thomas) is trying to pattern her own life after hers, lamenting, "Couldn't she just copy my haircut?"

"The ugliest haircut I've ever seen"

Despite her association with the cut, Aniston disliked the hairstyle:

Have there been disasters? I think that's a very relative term with hair. Let's say there have been moments I'd rather not relive, like that whole Rachel thing. I love Chris [McMillan, her hairstylist], and he's the bane of my existence at the same time because he started that damn Rachel, which was not my best look. How do I say this? I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen. What I really want to know is, how did that thing have legs? Let's just say I'm not a fan of short, layered cuts on me personally, so I don't love revisiting that particular era.^[1]

Legacy

At the beginning of the third season (1996) Aniston switched to a more traditional long-haired look, but The Rachel remains popular. In 2010, six years after the show's end, a survey found the cut as the most popular among British women.^[3] The 2011 advertisement Jennifer Aniston Goes Viral includes a talking parrot that says to Aniston, "Rachel, I love your hair".^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Oldenburg, Ann (2011-01-18). "Jennifer Aniston tells 'Allure' she hated her Rachel hair". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/01/jennifer-aniston-tells-allure-she-hated-her-rachel-hair--/1. Retrieved 2011-01-19. 
2. ^ "Jennifer Aniston Biography". People. Time Inc.. http://www.people.com/people/jennifer_aniston/biography. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
3. ^ Roche, Elisa (May 26, 2010). "JENNIFER ANISTON'S A CUT ABOVE FOR 11 MILLION WOMEN". Daily Express. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/177204/Jennifer-Aniston-s-a-cut-above-for-11-million-women. Retrieved January 19, 2011. 
4. ^ Weiss, Shari (March 8, 2011). "Jennifer Aniston 'sex tape': Actress tries comedy and sex appeal to promote smartwater viral video". Daily News (New York, NY). http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-08/entertainment/28686325_1_jennifer-aniston-tape-love. Retrieved March 18, 2011. 

External links

• (2009, November 12). "Rumor Has It - A Gossip Girl Whose Hair is in Demand (A ‘Gossip Girl’ Look, Pronto!)". New York Times Fashion & Style, New York edition, page E4. Retrieved from NYTimes.com on 23 August 2011.